Defeat leaves Lisburn team languishing at bottom of league

The match was switched to Osborne Park after heavy rain in mid-week and again Lisburn’s captain asked the opposition to bat first on a chilly but dry day.

Inst openers McLurkin and Nikoli Smith put on 30 for the first wicket on a lively Osborne Park pitch before Smith was caught by Mark Berry off Callum Atkinson for 17.

He was replaced by Andrew White and he added a further 20 runs with McClurkin in the next 8 overs when Lisburn managed a very good run out to dismiss McClurkin for 20 with the score at 50.

James Shannon did not last long, caught by Cody Chetty off Callum Atkinson for a ‘duck’ and at that point Lisburn were well placed having Inst on 50 for 3 after 19 overs.

However, after Neil Russell had been badly dropped by Callum Atkinson when he had not scored, he and the steady White began to stamp their authority on the Inst innings with a stand of 84 in just 18 overs taking advantage of some indifferent Lisburn bowling.

The partnership was broken in the 38th over when White was lbw to Stevie Lazars for 43 with the score on 134 and almost immediately Russell was caught in the deep by Robert Rankin for 36 bringing Lisburn back into the game with the Inst tally on 136 for 5.

The hopes of a cheap dismissal were short lived as the Instonians late order batting chipped in with a further 70 runs with Theron, Bunting and McKinley all scoring useful runs during the last 10 overs taking their final total to a more than satisfactory 200 for 8 in their 50 overs.

Callum Atkinson was Lisburn’s best bowler on the day with 3 for 30 off his 10 overs. Davey Simpson took 1 for 34 off his 10 and Richard McConkey had 1 for 36 off his full quota.

Stevie Lazars had 1 for 37 off his 10 overs while Mark Berry was one of two Lisburn bowler not to take a wicket with 0 for 36 off his 7 overs; Cody Chetty had 0 for 20 off his short spell of 3 overs.

When Lisburn began their reply it was obvious that the Instonians bowlers could generate more pace than the Lisburn attack.

Both Theron and Bunting gave the Lisburn openers a torrid time before Robert Rankin was beaten for pace and lbw to Bunting without scoring and the same bowler accounted for Richard Simpson three overs later when he was caught by Andrew White for a hard fought 11.

Adam Berry and Lisburn’s professional Cody Chetty, while under severe pressure from the belligerent Instonians attack, added 16 runs in 10 overs but the resistance ended with the dismissal of skipper Adam Berry who was clean bowled by McKinley for 12 leaving Cody Chetty to shore up the rapidly disintegrating Lisburn innings.

Stevie Lazars was next to be dismissed, playing a poor shot and caught at extra cover for another ‘duck’ and worse was to follow when Davey Simpson was struck on the head by a delivery from McKinley and had to leave the wicket to have some treatment. He proved to be in no serious trouble but did not bat again in the innings.

Simon Olphert, Mark Berry and Neil Kilpatrick added to list of 6 noughts in the Lisburn innings and only Richard McConkey[5] and Callum Atkinson [9] gave any support to the professional during the last few overs of unacceptable effort.

Cody Chetty remained 27 not out at the end of the innings which lasted just 32 overs and totalled the same as last week’s failure against Waringstown-79.

With the Sunday game against Derriaghy abandoned without a ball being bowled giving neither side any points, Lisburn now have just one win out of four league matches and badly need a victory when they play their next game which is not until the 16th July against Waringstown at The Lawn.

There is no game next Saturday as it is Senior Cup semi final Saturday and it will give Lisburn time to regroup and form a strategy for survival in the Premier League.